The Use of Kindergarten Screening Scores To Identify the Need for Reading Intervention: A Logit Regression Study.

Crail, Jayn; Fraas, John W.

A study examined the possibility of using kindergarten screening scores to predict whether a student would qualify for the reading intervention program in first grade. A total of 243 students were selected from the 7 Ashland, Ohio, elementary schools. The scores for 121 students were subjected to logit regression analysis. The remaining 122 students were used as a holdout group for the purpose of cross-validating the logit regression model's ability to correctly classify students. The results indicated that the ABC Inventory (Adair and Blesch, 1965) scores were the most important scores to consider when classifying students. The logit regression model was better able to correctly identify students who did not qualify for the program than students who did qualify. It was recommended that if correctly identifying approximately one-half of the students who would eventually qualify for assistance was sufficient, the model could be used. If a higher level of accuracy were required, other types of information, such as the kindergarten teachers' evaluations of students might improve the model's ability to identify students. (Four tables of data are included; 27 references are attached.) (Author/PRA)